David Blunkett has taken a job advising a company interested in bidding to run Britain's controversial identity cards programme, a policy he was the architect of and championed in government.

The former Home Secretary took up the post for the Texas-based security firm Entrust, which specialises in securing digital information and combating identity theft, earlier this month. The firm already provides software for the Spanish national ID card system and has formally registered an interest in the British project.

Blunkett is bound by a two-year ban on lobbying British ministers and officials from the date he resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary in November 2005. That does not expire until this November. His spokeswoman insisted yesterday that he would not be working in Britain for the company and would only advise on overseas work.

However, David Davis, the shadow Home secretary, last night attacked the decision, saying: 'David Blunkett was a staunch champion of ID cards and involved right at the heart of the project. The British public will be rightly sceptical about his involvement with a company that could benefit lucratively from this Â£20bn scheme.

'Under no circumstances should IT companies receive any preferential treatment and ex-ministers should not use their contacts to obtain any special treatment. Mr Blunkett should make sure he abides by this.' The Tories have pledged to scrap plans for ID cards, which they describe as a 'plastic poll tax', if they get into power.

Blunkett was one of the government's biggest defenders of identity cards when at the Home Office, before resigning over his involvement in a visa obtained for his lover's nanny. He maintained his interest in the scheme when he re-entered the cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary: ID cards are potentially useful in the fight against benefit fraud.

He has described ID cards as 'not a luxury or a whim - it is a necessity'. Two weeks before he started the job, he wrote in his column for the Sun that ID cards would 'protect our identity from fraudsters, stop illegal foreigners in their tracks, save billions being leeched from our welfare system and beat organised crime'.

ID cards will become compulsory for new British passport-holders from 2010. Making them compulsory for all Britons, including those who do not have or choose not to have passports, would require further legislation but the government has made it clear that it expects the majority of the population to get identity cards as they replace expiring passports.

Phil Booth, of the campaign group No2ID, which was set up to fight the introduction of the cards, said that having helped draw up the initial legislation Blunkett was extremely well informed about the process and had also been closely involved in negotiations across Europe about identity and security, knowledge of which could be of interest to a US company.

Since has what the public thought mattered to governments? Worry though, they can't even sort out the passport problems and they want to bring in another form of identification which is able to be faked.

Should be interesting to watch how quickly/if this goes away. He's not stupid, he'll get some good spin out of this somehow.

PTP
I also despair, but it will be a cold day in hell before enough voiceâs call out together Enough and say this is wrong and this is wrong and this.... and then for the rest of this sinking nation respond by standing up and be counted also.

Should be a law that means that a company with intersts such as these (ie a few ex MPs, Officials, Officers and the like in seats of power) is automatically disbarred from bidding for governement contracts.

Surely he gives them an unfair advantage, and technically could assert influence that he should no longer assert.

Should be a law that means that a company with intersts such as these (ie a few ex MPs, Officials, Officers and the like in seats of power) is automatically disbarred from bidding for governement contracts.

Surely he gives them an unfair advantage, and technically could assert influence that he should no longer assert.

Money grabbing self important unscrupulous tosser - Blunkett's true form started to show when he had to be challanged over those Biotec shares he held.

One question I'd raise would be whether or not we wanted to give a US company any piece of the action for ID cards considering how much money this is worth or access to any sort of UK database? Plenty of UK coys can provide what HMG want. Perhaps this is something that the DIS should cover as well - that would screw the w@nker

Should be a law that means that a company with intersts such as these (ie a few ex MPs, Officials, Officers and the like in seats of power) is automatically disbarred from bidding for governement contracts.

Surely he gives them an unfair advantage, and technically could assert influence that he should no longer assert.

Click to expand...

But this would be a disincentive for these companies to hire former ministers, civil servants and senior officers. Since this would leave those individuals without lucrative second careers, our survey says?...

Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Blunkett will respect the Ministerial code and not use his insider knowledge to advantage. A man with his proven levels of integrity has obviously been hired for his talents.

Should be a law that means that a company with intersts such as these (ie a few ex MPs, Officials, Officers and the like in seats of power) is automatically disbarred from bidding for governement contracts.

Surely he gives them an unfair advantage, and technically could assert influence that he should no longer assert.

Click to expand...

But this would be a disincentive for these companies to hire former ministers, civil servants and senior officers. Since this would leave those individuals without lucrative second careers, our survey says?...